Conpactio
by Cale-rey
Summary: Lucy would like to insist that she was normal. But normal people don't attract serial killers or maybe they do, she'd never know
1. Chapter 1

Look, I don't even know what this story is about. I still look at it as a whole sometimes and wonder, _Cale, what the heck were you high on,_ child?

Nonetheless, it was written more out of my compulsion than for your pleasure of reading all though I do sincerely hope you enjoy this story, if you don't, that's okay too. I totally understand.

Tbh, I was here for a good time and a beer but after this story, I'm not so sure anymore.

This story isn't for the faint of heart, honestly, if ya'all wanted fluff and cute stuff, this really ain't it mate.

Anyway, Hiro Mashima is the creator of Fairytail, I don't own any characters except the random bystander or teachers who are OC's.

* * *

_Normalcy is a state of mind. It's often one's reaction to it that determines the course of their life._

|Lucy Heartfilia|

**_Chapter one_**

_-0-_

Normalcy was good.

For Lucy Heartfilia at least it was.

People thought normalcy was boring for innumerable reasons. Firstly, it did not have to fulfil the zest of life. Secondly, there was something about normalcy which was predictable therefore made it more mundane. Thirdly, it made life more of a mechanised process than an appeasing experience.

At least these were the reasons Lucy Heartfilia thought could be responsible for why people did not want normalcy.

As for her, she was content with being typical, happy with the way her life wrapped itself around the convenience of being an ordinary teenager.

Her life was about as predictable as water. A middle-class family that had been original residents of Lecastle for a long time, she was born and bred the same way her parents and them before, nothing changed. Yet, while Lecastle seemed like an old, boring town where nothing creative ever transpired, it had all changed that one summer. It was a big affair, had been all hushed up by the elders and the Sheriff.

Almost as if everyone was keen on forgetting those incidents had ever occurred.

And since everyone was trying to forget, who was Lucy to question the process?

"Lucy!" A sharp voice broke her trance as she turned to her right, facing her best friend, Rufus Lore. Who was currently waving vigorously his hand in front of her to gain what would seem as her undivided attention.

"Careful there, Lucy," Rufus said steadily pulling her, silently reminding her that they were climbing down a staircase of her school and one miscalculated step would result in one nasty hell of a fall.

"Thanks," she sheepishly said as he rolled his eyes.

"So now you're listening to me?"

"Of course, I was," Lucy said, hoping he hadn't asked a question.

"Really? You were?" He asked, with a brow raised in inquisition as he crossed his arms.

"Umm yeah, you were talking about your crush on the football-mmph-" A hand clamped itself over her mouth tightly.

"-Jesus effin' Christ, Lucy! You might as well announce it on a mic. Dear Lord, you're loud."

"One of my assets, really." Lucy kidded with a giggle as the blond beside her shook his head.

"Uhuh. Yeah right. Besides, you were wrong, for once I was _not_ talkin' 'bout Eve Tearm, just shows how much you were really listening." He narrowed his green eyes at her as they walked through the corridor to their lockers, smuggling their way through the crowded corridor.

"Gee, I'm sorry. I was just-"

"-daydreaming?"

"Yeah, that." She sheepishly nodded. "But what were you talking about, anyway?"

"We can't meet up for lunch is what I was saying." He repeated as they reached their lockers and took their scheduled books out.

"Why the hell not?" Lucy questioned, densely unaware of the stare Rufus had been directing to her until he literally put both his hands on her shoulder and gently made her turn to what her back was previously facing towards.

A bright red banner put up at the end of the corridor with eighteen pictures of different people were etched upon and at the end of the floor-length banner were placed on one and other numerous bouquets of white lilies, baskets of pink and red carnations with a few gladioluses scattered here and there.

"It's the anniversary of _Summerhouse murders_," Rufus said quietly to Lucy as she stiffened at the mere sight and then dropped his tone to a whisper, "honestly, I thought you'd remember with the ominous feeling in the air and the flowery scent."

To establish this, he gave an evident sniff to his surrounding.

"Really, it smells like a florist shop here."

Which indeed begged the question,

How could she have forgotten?

Summerhouse murders was a nasty series of murders which had occurred a year ago, the victims were first assaulted and then stabbed, the killer was never caught and the only credible evidence they found of the killer was a slip of paper on which would be drawn a phase of the moon.

That's right people.

The killer, nicknamed Rhealz for reasons that she wondered very often about, would always leave a drawing of a phase of the moon in the perfect and precise order of the lunar cycle. The most alarming fact about it was that the victims were all from Summerville Academy which drew everyone inclusive of herself had fear engraved in their very minds during those times.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, she did not understand, how could people kill so mercilessly? It was such an abstract concept to her. Dirty politicians and mafia bosses were one thing but the outright slaughter was something her moral disposition failed to wrap its head around.

It was after these set of killings which made Lucy profoundly disinclined to take up Law or even think of joining the police force.

"Lucy." A small voice shook or rather tried to shake her but Lucy was stuck in a long thought process.

Still, the psychology behind it all interested her a bit.

She was well-aware of _how _the psyche was inculcated in such a type of person but she was still a bit fuzzy on the _why_. Distinctly, she remembered a message given by the school principal in honour of the victims that-

'_Good is within everyone, innate evil is within everyone, the moment it matters is when you have to choose_.'

It was all he had ever regarded the matter with, insensitivity is what others called it but Lucy had a feeling that perhaps he mourned their deaths too but never did so openly. It was a brutal and heart-wrenching incident.

"Lucy. Honestly, I swear to whichever force watching me that I will personally throw a brick at you if you aren't paying attention."

That caught her attention. Effectively.

"Yeah?" She jerked up, snapping her neck so hard towards Rufus that it might have suffered a fracture.

"You're really out of your element today, aren't you?" Rufus reiterated as they continued to walk to their class.

"I suppose... I'm just..."

"..out of your element?" The blond helpfully inserted.

"Yes, that." She giggled, delightfully.

They both heard the first bell ring and looked at each other simultaneously.

"Whose class do we have again?"

"Ms Selene." Both of them realized together with a faint tone of what would seem a 'wake-up' call. The fierce English teacher was a force to reckoned with.

"Ahh shit." Rufus cussed profanely as Lucy sprinted sprightly and ran past him with a grin plastered on her face, "beat you till the door!" She stuck out her tongue, childishly.

"Lucy," Rufus whined like a child denied his treat, hot on her heels as they made it past the long, brown corridors into the class with the absence of Ms Selene, fortunately just before her arrival.

Small mercies those were really.

| • • • • • • • • |

It was quiet for many reasons really but perhaps that is how memorials are supposed to be, right? Lucy convinced herself that she felt sorrowful only because of the atmosphere because it was easier to ignore the pain that way.

But really, who the heck was she kidding?

The anniversary memorial service was in the school chapel, as Lucy walked in she noticed the centre of the altar had several easels stacked together that had canvasses which had a picture of each of the eighteen victims embedded upon it, they each had a candle placed in front of them with flowers arranged at the bottom of the easel.

Lucy took a deep, harrowingly calm breath before settling down in the corner of the benches as the speeches went on for what seemed like eternal damnation.

It had begun raining heavily the moment the memorial service began, she found amusing how the rains always knew precisely when to shower with exertion, their timing was specifically meant for the purpose. A chilly breeze drew her attention to the window beside her, the principal had a penchant for flowers and she found it in the course of no surprise when she saw a pair of white roses blossoming in the garden next to the church.

What enrapture her perception, even more, was when the harsh weather of the rains made a petal go astray from the pure, white rose to fall into a dark puddle of dirt, sinking deeper into the brown mud of the dirtied water until it was not even visible anymore, she closed her eyes and took another breath and faced a reality she had taken an entire year to overcome.

Those people.

Each of them she may or may not have spoken to, may or may not have met yet she knew all of them in the way a stranger does which merely made her heart clench in sync with the pain of her soul.

The time she had been in the washroom and had accidentally walked in _Karen Lilica_, the fifth victim silently staring at the mirror while she minded her own business and thought it was merely a glance.

She really should have asked her if she was doing okay that day and when _Bacchus Groh_, the thirteenth victim was celebrating his victory in the individual athlete championships, she should have congratulated him even though they were nothing but mere strangers.

And of course, she would not forget that moment when _Sue,_ the third victim had finally come out of the closet as a homosexual, Lucy really wanted to tell her that she was proud of her because coming out as a lesbian when you're from a la orthodox Christian family was harder than one imagined.

She knew that regrets did not make you any less of a person but when Lucy was surrounded by the reminiscence of the very same people, she couldn't help but be flooded by waves of memories she had as a stranger in all of their lives.

Which aroused the question, would anything be different had she approached them that very moment? Would they still be alive? It was silly of her to think so, she would later admit but commonly the butterfly effect was a wild generic that she believed it.

It always forced her to believe in the chance incidents.

She winced.

Despising the circumstance that she had found herself in.

And like the white petal fallen on the water surface that drowned its way to the bottom to meet the dark floor bed, she was engulfed into thinking of the mere happenings of 'what-if's'.

* * *

Updates gonna be once a week.

Mostly on the weekends but I'm unpredictable that way so might be.


	2. Chapter 2

_And what if our reaction to normalcy is different? What if what's normal to me is insane to you?_

|Natsu Dragneel|

**_Chapter two_**

_-0-_

Water.

Clear blue water.

Bent over, like an almost hoop, Lucy heaved a breath and dived into the pool water and she felt alive again. Other than hanging around with Rufus during free periods and after school while listening to his incessant rants of 'Eve that' or 'Eve this', spent her time in the school swimming pool which would usually be open to students a few hours after day school ended.

The best thing about that?

It was her alone time of the day which she spent in solace by sitting at the floor bed of the swimming pool which was considerably secluded at that period of time. Granted, that made her completely pregnable to the attacks of a certain insane serial killer but Rhealz had been gone. Not so long but long enough to elevate her fears of being assaulted and murdered.

She stared at clear blue around her, if there was one thing that distinguished from many others then it would be her ability to hold her breath up to 7 minutes underwater, Rufus once joked around calling her a mermaid but if it was one thing she could never resist doing when sitting at the bottom of the pool was thinking.

When she was underwater, it almost felt like Lucy could finally breathe.

Although Science would have her believe otherwise.

It was like outer space to her, freed from laws of gravity, Lucy felt like her burdens were lifted when she was down there, all the weights of consequences diminished to mere smears of dust, it felt like the water became a part of herself.

Her mind would flow in and out of thoughts she did not know existed which would later, raise questions in her but for the present, she would just think. An act of healing, an act of resurrecting what she thought was lost. Her thoughts fluttered in a flimsy process, going randomly about the most irrelevant things, like Greek gods, which led her to point out the fact that Ms Selene, her English teacher had the name of the Greek goddess of the moon.

The clock showed four and Lucy felt some part of her memory resurfacing.

"Lucy, please be home before I come, I'll need help with the grocery shopping" She remembered her mom clearly stating in the morning.

_Wasn't that around three-thirty? _She thought, abruptly as a few facts placed itself well in her mind.

The realisation struck her like lightning and she quickly withdrew from the pool and changed into her spare of clothes then walked to her dad's bike and drove herself home without a second thought.

"Hey Levi," Lucy grinned as her dog greeted her, it wagged its tail at her arrival, she patted its golden head as it curled up in affection.

"Well, at least I'm clearly not late." She muttered to herself in her head and paced into her house where nobody was home yet.

Unlike many residences, her house had an attic with no haunted spirit lurking about, something that she was glad of. Her attic was a clean place, a second bedroom if Rufus would crash over for the night and they would binge on Netflix series, which also meant that she knew the attic the best considering the amount of time she had spent there, which _also _indicated that space between the cupboard and the side of the bed in the corner of the room was most of the time ignored.

There was not much to see except for this big box there that had all her embarrassing childhood photos and a weird-ass journal (journal was the term and not a diary) when she was in Year 6.

If anyone were to find it, they would have acquired a lifetime worth's blackmail over Lucy.

Partly the reason, she's extra careful when Rufus comes over.

Ah. The humiliation, if he gets his hands on it, was positively petrifying.

Lucy removed a cloth that had been on her portable magnetic whiteboard. She hadn't used it for a long time.

Back then, her room was furnished she was coerced into sleeping in the attic. After getting over her fear of ghosts and whatnot, she had used the board to write a few reminders _because,_ Lucy squinted her eyes at the board, _let's face it, I have the memory of a goldfish._

Yes, that bad indeed.

But that was not her interest at the moment, Lucy would rant about the incapabilities of her memory some other blessed day, not now. She took the marker and drew the phases of the moon on the whiteboard and almost cringed at how well she knew of each of the phases.

Damn. That science class she had forcibly taken in summer long back really did help.

Besides that, there were eight phases of the moon needed to complete the lunar cycle. Which meant sixteen phases of the moon would complete two cycles of the moon so why were there eighteen people killed?

Because that would be the start of the third cycle of the phases of the moon. Then why did he stop so unexpectedly?

_Did he feel like a sinner?_

No, Rhealz was a thirsty, draconian killer, there was no way in hell or heaven that sympathy would arise in a man like that which meant that he could not be made to feel regretful of his sins even if he knew he was.

_Did he lose interest?_

As much as Lucy wished to flinch in disgust and revolting nature of the question, she did not. Serial killers, in particular, were always driven by a motive to do what they did and from the looks of it, Rhealz was particularly interested in power and control.

She had heard of killers who would merely torture their victim's to pull reactions that intensify their feelings of power and control over the specific person.

Apparently, it was exhilarating for a killer to see a victim struggle. Soo hell no that man lost interest which implored the existence of another theory,

Something had happened, an external cause had prevented him from killing more people and so he fled the sight. In mere straight words, he went into hiding until it was the right time to strike but had killed two people more just to assure that he would return.

Lucy widened her eyes almost showing a close resemblance to a fish out of the water, had she single-handedly predicted the return of a feared criminal?

What the hell? There was no way it was true, she really should get her head out of those Agatha Christie novels.

A nagging feeling remained at the back of her head as she reached out to the duster.

But...but what if she was right?

"Lucy! You up there, hun?" She heard her mom call her name out loud, "Lu, dear, I just came back from the grocery store, could you please help me bring the bags from the car?"

Lucy shook her head and instinctively rubbed the whiteboard with the duster and placed the cloth over it.

Honestly, who did she think she was? Sherlock Holmes? No, this was just getting in her way.

She dismissed all her thoughts away, before calling out again.

"Coming mom." She responded, climbing down the stairs to help her mother as she tied her hair up in a bun.

Layla smiled, mirthfully, at her elder daughter who was helping her out with the overweight bags.

Lucy faked a smile, she wished not to worry her mother who was already troubled by her brother's _*ahem*ahem_ antiques, well, much to everyone's chagrin in the house, Hibiki Lates Heartfilia was growing up to be a rebel without a cause.

The previous week he had demanded money to buy a motorcycle that ended up in a heated argument between him and dad which Lucy knew would end up severe if she had not stepped in, helping her mother to break the two of them apart and they had not been conversing as such since then.

She loved them both, really, she did but the nonsensical male alpha dominance that was drawn from both of them was suffocating to the point she wanted to kick both of them out of the house compounds.

Lucy was pretty sure her mother felt the same way and felt she might even lend a hand in doing so.

"Your dad's gonna be late tonight." Her mother voiced out, gently, as she began sorting out the things from the bags. "Apparently, Richard, his co-worker, asked him to swap shifts."

"Uhuh and dad had no issue with it? Because so far as I remember Dad despises working overtime in the hospital." Lucy inquired with a tone of doubt overshadowing her words.

"Yeah, seemingly, it smells like death during nightfall." Layla let out a stifling laugh.

"Couldn't argue with that anymore." Lucy relented with a giggle.

"Do you know when Hibiki will be coming home?" Her mother asked in a voice filled with concern after repetitively glancing towards the wall clock.

"He didn't tell but if you want, I could call his friends because he'd not respond to my calls anyways." Lucy offered, she wasn't blind to her mother's plight, it made her take note of dealing with her younger brother when he gets home.

She sighed as she heard her mother reply a 'No' in a small voice which just established that maybe she should call his friends.

Sigh. The perks of being the elder one.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the suggestion of the thought and went back to her room to study for a pop quiz that might be held in mathematics the next day.

As she sat down and continued to study, she noticed the rain had not ceased, it had been drizzling or thundering or something in between but had never stopped. Only for a brief moment, she looked out of the window and as she did, her gaze set upon a stranger walking past her house, his salmon pink hair peeking out of the cap he was wearing.

Almost sensing as if he was being watched, he stopped before looking up at her window.

Their eyes met briefly and everything melted in the cold rain. She inhaled deeply, feeling heat creep into her skin in spite of the atmosphere.

Lucy looked away as did the stranger then she went back to her desk.

_What the hell was that?_ She wondered, Lucy had forgotten how that stranger even looked but his eyes, his eyes had drawn an impression on her. While everyone knew everyone in Lecastle, it would appear Lucy would have to go out more often to actually know them.

But there was something, a sort of suspicion that seemed to churn a heart-rending feeling in Lucy's stomach, like a harbinger of something.

And if Lucy had to be the right judge of it, it wasn't something good.

* * *

Gonna see him soon though.


	3. Chapter 3

_I suppose it should be fine if your insanity does not hurt the well-being of someone else,_

_if it does, then it would be necessary to control it._

|Lucy Heartfilia|

**_Chapter three_**

_-0- _

She ran.

Her leg was bruised and hurting but she had to keep going to escape. To escape _him_.

Yet, she could not find her way through this sickeningly mad maze, she did not know where she was or where she was going for that matter but she kept running.

Every step she took, she felt like she was being watched. It had been going on from a few days, her perpetrator had been stalking her, be it in the crowded corridor of her school, in the pavements when she was alone, in her house when nobody was home, he has been there all through, he had been torturing her, salvaging away her will to live and feeding on her fear.

He must have got some sick kind of kick out of it but whatever it was, he had lost interest now, therefore, sought her out. To do what, she had no clue but she reckoned it was not something good. Meanwhile, he had managed to bruise her leg terribly, at least enough to make her limp.

She must have been in some sort of an abandoned warehouse of what she had no clue but this was ridiculous. Her neck snapped when she turned her head as she heard heavy footsteps of leather boots but as soon as she did, she crashed into a hard chest cause her to bounce back and with an injured leg, she automatically ended falling on her bottom.

And the sight she beheld was the embodiment of danger.

The moonlight prowled through the high ceiling windows allowing her to steal a glance of the man in front of her but regretted it a moment later.

The manifestation of pure evil glittered in the notion of his eyes as an exasperating grin spread across his face, "Hey there."

Sleek black eyes stare down at her, there was nothing in those eyes, nothing that was valuable to be noted down apart from the fact that they seemed to have been drained out of colour and for his character, that fit all too well.

In the event of limited adjectives, he was quite fetching, the kind that would make the hair at the back of your neck stand erect yet attract you enough to come close but the woman before him knew better.

"What do you want?!" She screeched, unsparingly.

"Damn." He chuckled, insensitive to her anger, "I know that we're isolated at the outskirts of the city but that doesn't mean you need to scream like that."

"You... you've been torturing me from the past few days and..and..." She broke into heaps of sobs and painful cries to which the listener rolled his eyes. Oh great. This was exactly what he wanted to deal with.

He watched her cry but he couldn't really pacify her.

_By saying what?_ He inwardly snorted, _sorry I'm killing you but like I'm fucking crazy and I can't help it._

"Yeah that," He said, monotonously as if discussing the weather.

"To be honest, you weren't a chase at all, sad really, I thought would put up more of an interesting fight but like the rest...you wanted to be controlled. It's kinda boring, for the better lack of a word." He smiled generously as it reached his onyx eyes.

"After all," He continued with a feral grin, "What is the use of a prey who wishes to be preyed upon?"

He was walking around her mangled body like a dominant predator cornering his prey. God damn, it had been some time since he got to see fear in someone's eyes like that. He really hadn't known he had missed it so much.

"Why me?" She cried out, meekly.

The mere question made him stop, "Is that right? Oh, you surely don't think that you're special in some weird way, do you?"

Natsu Dragneel cocked his head to the side and removed a knife from its sheath strapped at the side of his casual jean, the sight made the woman whimper in fear.

"And what if I have no reason?" He crouched down, glared at her eyes with darkness that could swallow souls, his hand slithered to the back of her neck and rose to catch a handful of hair and pushed her closer as his lips touched her earlobe.

"Would my sins be forgiven if I had a motive?"

"Please...please I beg you just don't kill-"

She stopped midway of her sentence to vomit blood on his shoulder, he had plunged the knife right into her lungs which caused her to cough up blood, he swiftly removed the blade as she fell on the ground behind her, her eyes stared at him emptily, clearly, she was still alive barely although.

Natsu dipped down and straddled her continuing to stab her multiple times in her gut and various other place of his favorite choice and slicing her skin as and where he fancied. He cracked his jaw as his hands were washed in blood of the woman beneath him, Natsu pondered upon a thought, what would be a good way to announce his return?

_Would receiving a severed head on the Sheriff's post mail a cool way to say hi, I'm back?_ He wondered.

Oh but it was so much of an effort and he felt rather lazy and lethargic and his mind leaned more towards the idea of procrastination. Plus, the Sheriff was probably on the way.

The movement beneath him brought him back to the actuality of what he was doing.

_Oh shit_. Right he forgot.

She was not dead yet, well, from his knowledge she would be alive for a few more hours even after multiple stab wounds.

She would writhe in pain awaiting her so very slow death also Natsu would, happily record her as she did but as much as of a sadistic asshole he was, who definitely was not fine upstairs, the Sheriff and his minions would be here in awhile and he had to arrange the crime scene to perfection before that would occur.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his messy hair while he got off her body and turned the body over, he took the knife and placed it indent at the base of the skull, by his knowledge, the bone was thin there, with precision and hard pressure he slammed it at a precise angle and hammered her medulla oblongata.

_Death on a speed post_, he'd call that one. An efficient method to kill but one needed extreme precision and years of practice.

Both of which he already had.

Natsu stood to his feet, staring at the woman bleeding dry before him. Really, had he more time, he would've made an effort to be creative. He approved the fact that he had worn black at least this time he didn't have to rush back to his apartment. His neighbour would freak out if they saw red stains on a bright blue shirt but since they knew him to be a charming, young man they would probably ask before ask before assuming.

And of course, right next to the body was a paper on which was drawn in accuracy the half-moon.

Natsu turned on his heel as he heard the sound of vehicles came in view, he drove away from the location and they hadn't even seen him leave. He continued to drive into the neighborhood near his apartment before he stopped at a departmental store.

"Oh Natsu, workin' up late I see." Dimaria Yesta grinned at her regular customer who returned it.

"Well, you know it. It's been better lately." He smiled.

"That's good to know." Dimaria nodded, "since the entire Rhealz incident no one trusts anyone at the door."

"Not like you could blame them." Natsu shrugged as nonchalantly picked up a packet of noodles.

"That too."

"In fact," Natsu suggestively, "what if he strikes again? Can't blame people for being suspicious on a killer who was never caught."

"True. Do you think he'll ever come back?" Dimaria asked as he filled his hand basket.

"Really, Dimaria, you think?" A masculine voice asked making Natsu narrow his eyes at it before he faced to turn towards a blond man.

"I mean, c'mon Eve, think it this way. What if he does come back?" She said, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"Jesus Christ, Dimaria. No." Eve Term said, "he's gone for good."

"Why do you think so?" Natsu said as both of them looked at him, "doesn't the thought of a serial killer who was never caught make you feel-"

"-scared?" Eve asked the man who seemed a stranger to him, Natsu nodded as if he was not at all the person they were conversing about unaware.

"Doesn't it scare you at all?" Dimaria said, looking at the blond who shrugged in response.

"That's what he wants us to feel, don't you get it?" Eve pointed out, "he wants us to feel afraid because he feeds on fear, people like them are cruel and cowards that way."

_Are they now?_ Natsu thought, interested. He observed them talk and it caused him to smile.

Looks like he found his next victim after all.

* * *

I feel weird like this story wasn't supposed to be posted at all. But since I've started it might as well publish it.


	4. Chapter 4

_Control it you say? That would be hiding from what I really am._

_Have you ever heard of a Dragon afraid to kill because he might hurt his prey?_

_Come on, don't you have your own darkness as well?_

|Natsu Dragneel|

**_Chapter four_**

_-0-_

It took one glance at Lucy that night for her mom to decide that she was not going to school the next day in spite of the fact that she had actually sat down right and studied for the damned math test.

Well, what could Lucy do? Fate was a cruel bitch they said.

Ostensibly, she looked like, in Rufus's words, 'a dead horse', when they had a video call.

Huh.

_Like he knew how a dead horse looked like,_ Lucy rolled her eyes, she had forgotten to dry her hair right after she came and because of her body's prone nature towards sickness, she not only caught a cold but a full-fledged fever.

_Yay, what a joyous thing, let's celebrate. _She said to herself in her head while taking aspirin and a few more tablets to combat the rising fever. Apparently, they were told to be sleep-inducing tablets which seemed credible because the moment Lucy's head hit the pillow, she was snoring softly.

The next she woke up was at midday. Feeling the numbness of her muscles, she stretched and cracked her jaw and bones, a habitual routine and surprisingly, she felt like she could take the whole damn world which was in contrast compared to the days when the whole damn world could take her. She had a quick shower and went down for a quick brunch.

Much to her surprise and slight annoyance, there was nobody at home.

She shrugged and walked over to the kitchen to pour herself down a bowl of cereal as she listened to _Greensleeves_ on piano being played on her phone.

The melody calmed her restless soul and made her feel more control over herself, she inhaled deeply as a smile settled on her lips.

Even when alone, she felt like her world was perfect and never, never would she settle for anything less than solace and peaceful comfort.

Of course, there would be a few times where she would feel like she's at war when the toxicity of certain things got to her but she would always heal, would always let things go, would always recur to her normal tranquillity which for many would seem boring but to her was enough.

For Lucy, things like money, power and ambition was a rather fleeting desire.

_Because like everything else, this too shall pass._

However, none of that seems to explain the sudden absence of everyone in her house. She kept her bowl down after finishing it.

Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone behind her, working on smooth reflexes, she grabbed the hilt of the kitchen knife on the table and spun in defence.

"Whoa. Hold it there." Hibiki said putting his hands up in surrender. Her brother was taller to her by a couple of inches, he was sturdy and stood formed, against the blade of the kitchen knife, Lucy narrowed her eyes at her brother, "The hell were you trying to do?"

"The hell were _you _trying to do?" He shot back in retaliation, black orbs glaring in indignation.

"I'm... I'm sorry..this is just reflexes. I am extremely instinctive when I'm alone." She replied, running a hand through her hair, silently cursing her inability to recognize the footsteps of her brother.

"You might wanna hang on to those reflexes then."

Unable to catch his meaning, she questioned curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Ah fuck it. I don't wanna talk about it."

"Hibiki. Quit behaving like a woman on her PMS and tell me." She said, crossing her and in a defensive stance.

"Fine. Jesus fuckin' Christ. Really, Lu, you coulda added a '_please_' somewhere there." Hibiki groaned, crankily.

Lucy sighed. She was doing that a lot these days.

Especially, when it came to her brother.

"Just tell me already."

Hibiki stared at her unsatisfied and critically looked at her, "Listen, I don't want you to freak out."

"Hibiki."

"Well, you'd do that anyway."

"Hibiki."

"Fine. . . he's back."

"Well, that certainly helps. I definitely know who is back." She replied, sarcastically, putting an emphasis on the '_definitely_'. Lucy continued to take a glass out of the wooden cabinet and walked to the water filter.

"Rhealz. There has been a murder."

And not less a moment after, the sound of glass shattering to a thousand fragments was heard.

"Lucy!"

**|• • • • • • • •|**

"This had to be a joke. Goddamn it! You've gotta fuckin' kidding with me." Rufus cussed, crossing his arms defensively as he was talking to Brandish and Marin, his classmates who were good friends with him.

They were standing near their lockers, where the news had broken out and suddenly, chaos was ensured in Summerville Academy.

"If it's a joke, it's a fuckin' sick one." Brandish relented, gloomily, wrapping her arm around Marin's as people rushed out and in, the environment was simply chaotic at the moment.

"I can't believe he's back. Rhealz had been dead for a year now." Marin added, incredulously.

Rufus merely acknowledged their comments with a nod and not even close. Jessica Brown was found dead in one of the most brutal ways possible in an abandoned textile warehouse at the south end of Lecastle with of course a drawing of the first quarter moon.

Rufus almost chuckled humourlessly at the mention of brutal. Seriously? Brutal had been the theme of these murders.

Rhealz had returned to complete his venture it would seem. At least that was established.

However, there was one more thing initiated then that would be fear in the hearts of Summerville students.

Rufus loathed it. The way 'Rhealz' had so much of irrevocable control over them, the cold-blooded, sinister killer must have loved the fact that he had them right under his thumb. _Disgusting_, and what was worse was that all of them, all of them were powerless to do anything against it.

"Lore." A small voice splintered diffidently and his awareness was brought back to reality.

"Lu." His deep green eyes flashed in concern as he quickly went to her side and wrapped a protective arm around her as he noticed her brows shrivelled in worry. "Are you-"

"Who was it?"

Rufus sighed, not a really want to deal with this again, "Jessica."

"The cheerleading squad caption?"

"Yeah. The body was found in the warehouse with a blank piece on which a -"

"First quarter of the moon was drawn?" She asked more in anticipation then a shot at guessing. Rufus rose an eyebrow at her detached answer and rose the other one as well when he saw a bandage on her ankle but decided that he'd ask her later about it.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Marin inquired, brows crossed.

"He is finishing what he couldn't the previous time. If he had to stop, then he'd stop when he killed sixteen victims, completing two cycles yet he ceased doing murders at eighteen. It's almost like he was saying it to us on our faces, _I will return_." Lucy explained, her tone showing defeat more evidently than it really should have.

"Which would mean the next phase of the moon. . ." Brandish trailed off, grim expectations hanging on a thread.

"And just when will this end?" Rufus growled, exasperated.

There held a silence in the group, people passing by had glanced towards them but most of them held fear in their eyes, a sight that was making a certain someone glimmer in happiness and joy, the kind of the evil.

Natsu wasn't one to lie, but goddamn watching such variety of emotion slip into people's eyes made him wonder why he had quit in the first place. His eyes naturally scourged past as he leant against the lockers watching his new victim squirm.

Eve Term stretched his way through before he made it to his friends, they acknowledged him before he smiled at a taller blond.

_Oh, would you look at that?_ He thought amused.

Seems like his victim had a little crush.

Natsu's eyes rested on him for a while before shaking his head,_ a pity_. His gaze fell upon another blonde, her arm protectively wrapped around one of her friends. He heard the name, _Lucy_, echo loudly in whatever conversation they were having before he even wondered about it.

Funnily, her name meant light. Though Natsu doubted that was anywhere close to what she was feeling at the moment. Right before she could look up at his direction, Natsu moved from his spot and her chocolate brown eyes felt the eerie thought that she was being watched or had been.

_It could be anyone_, Lucy thought, blankly staring at everyone passing her by.

And that made it all the more morbid.

She glowered coldly as she watched a pink-haired janitor walk past and a few officials of the staff making an announcement. School had been dismissed for the day, turns out the students, as well as the staff, were too disturbed to be in classes or closed doors.

Rufus wished to drop Lucy at home although his house was on the other side.

For once, Lucy didn't hold up an argument to any of that.

* * *

Yeah, I'm so sorry for not being able to post, I had just finished this other story that I posted which kinda screwed with my mind but I'm starting to sync in with the fact that my head's a crazy place to be in.

This story is gonna be a pretty long slow build and I don't even know most parts but I'll figure it out okay?

Hope ya'all are doing fine though. See ya around.


	5. Chapter 5

_I do, I do have my own darkness._

_Yet the difference between us both is the fact that_

_while I have come undone by it, you revel in it._

|Lucy Heartfilia|

**_Chapter five_**

_-0-_

"We will, we will rock you!"

The crowd cheered as they stomped their feet unanimously and clapped their hands in fierce rhythm. A fervour of intense anticipation was swimming in the air of Central Lecastle grounds which Lucy wonder a particular thing:

_Why, in the name of everything holy, am I here?_

Oh right. Because her best friend apparently thought this was a spectacular way of relieving the tension and stress they had been reliving from the past few weeks since Jessica's murder.

Yeah, really effective thinking right there because all this just made her feel more anxious.

She had attended Jessica's funeral and everything, boy, was it a mess? Her parents were all over the place. They could not overcome the loss of their only child being snatched away from them by a daunting criminal. That whole weekend was a horrible thing. The tears. The pain and anguish. The agony and the madness. The smell of deathly Lillies. The sad scent in the air. Undeniably, it did leave another regret in Lucy.

Altogether, the funeral at Jessica's was a dreadful experience.

It had been stated now, the nineteenth victim had been done with. The mere fact made her parents doubtful to send her anywhere, well, it made _her _conscious so the worry of her parents was more than welcomed.

Lucy looked around once again, wondering if she should secretly leave but then she couldn't do that Rufus, as much as of a well-qualified ass he would display more often than convenient, she still wouldn't leave him especially when he was finally asked out and was too much of a coward to go by himself.

Yes, people.

Rufus Lore was finally asked out by Eve Tearm. Both of them liked each other without the knowledge of the other, it was a cute thing to witness really because someone as fierce as Rufus would become shy and coy when in the presence of a rather fun-loving Eve. Made her feel especially with the kind of happy amongst the things going around, this seemed like a small blessing.

Eve was a footballer, an avid one at that which would explain how he had acquired the tickets to this match. Maybe the relationship between the blossoming pair made her come to the football game. The match was between Eagles and Lions, Eagles being the east side while the Lions were from the west side of Lecastle. The aggressive rivalry between the two parts of the town would cause an uneasy reaction from anyone leaving in the centre of Lecastle.

She didn't support either. Staying neutral would seem the best for the time being seeing how passionately for no reason the dislike among the people from both sides.

An overwhelming urge to cough overcame her, leaving an uncomfortable tickling feeling in her throat. Water. She needed water.

"Uh Rufus." Lucy tapped the shoulder of her blond best friend having a rather heated make-out session with his newly acquired boyfriend.

Gosh. This was so not her scene.

About several minutes, Rufus pulled away from his boyfriend, "Yeah? You called Lu-" He furrowed his brows when he didn't find her sitting next to him.

"Lore?" Eve' green eyes sunk in worry, "Is somethin' wrong?" He rounded his hands around Rufus's.

"No. It's just that Lu was right here and now..."

Almost as soon as he said, Eve got up and assured him, lightly brushing his fingers over the blonde's neck. He smiled, gently, "I'll find her, give me a second, I'll be right back." Rufus returned a grin and stayed fixated to his seat to watch the remainder of the match and also to figure out what the heck was Eastside doing on the field.

Yeah, he was an Eagle's supporter.

|• • • • • • • •|

"Jesus Christ. I just want water." Lucy murmured in despair.

"Yes, although ma'am, we have a variety of slushies. You can try those out!" The man croaked out in effervescence.

_God. This guy is so fucking pissing off. _Lucy gritted internally. She had been engaged in asking for a goddamn water bottle and all she got was '_But ma'am you can have a slushy instead._' Honestly, she was _this_ close to screaming the living daylights out of the man before she remembered the customers waiting in line after her.

Lucy looked down at the green slushy in her hands.

She didn't like Watermelon lime and from the looks of it, she didn't find it promising either.

_Is that even a thing?_ Lucy thought as she risked drinking the slushy which honestly tasted like Jolly Ranchers melted but edible somehow and it seemed to have quenched her thirst.

The blonde shrugged before climbing down the narrow, metal stairway to return to Rufus and Eve, who would probably be wondering where she was by now.

And that's when she momentarily turned to the sound of people rushing down.

It happened too quickly for Lucy to react. Some kid, reckless in teen years, dashed down the stairs, accidentally shoving her backwards as Lucy lost balance over the edge of the stairs.

Her eyes widened processing the fall, she reached out to catch something, hopefully a handrail, before falling to the ground.

When she failed, Lucy shut her eyes and awaited the pain.

Which, however, didn't come.

A sturdy arm wrapped itself around her waist, hauling her forward as her hands hooked on strong shoulders holding onto for dear life. Lucy smelled grey smoke and burning fires before she lifted her gaze to meet a pair of brilliant obsidian eyes, she blinked when she realised they seemed to be curiously observing her. Her hands dropped down slowly in an attempt to convince her heart that no danger was present.

Yet as stubborn it was and as uncanny it would seem, Lucy still felt like she was falling and would have preferred that to being securely held by this stranger. He considered her with an amused expression; almost like she was an experiment gone wrong.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you?" Lucy responded as he arched a brow.

Natsu stared at her in intrigue, that wasn't the answer he was expecting he would admit.

For a brief moment only, he felt like dropping his façade but it made him hold onto it all the more closer. Funny that was though, he prided himself on being skilled with reading people, this girl who looked like a fluff of a dumb blonde, no longer seemed so. He lowered her down on the step in front of him, neither rough nor gentle as Lucy's feet felt the ground beneath her.

He smiled at her charmingly, taking her off-guard.

"Well, of course, I'm fine, I'm not the one who almost fell, Miss."

Overcome by inherent politeness, she smiled at him, although it seemed like it wasn't entirely willing.

"Thank you," she said softly, not meeting his eyes, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused-"

"-hardly," He snorted, "not your fault really."

Without warning she looked at him again, remembering the stranger from weeks ago with the same shock of pink hair. Was this him or was dying your hair pink in fashion?

"I should be leaving," Lucy said, stepping aside from him as she began climbing down, fingers lightly brushing against her wrist, "Goodbye."

She noticed how he hadn't told it back but didn't bother herself with turning back even after she reached the end of the stairway. Natsu simply sucked his cheeks, pensively staring at her as she fluttered out of his sight.

_That was. . .weird_, She thought, wondering if the incident needed more analysis or could she just let it go this once.

Lucy continued walking forward before she noticed Eve looking for someone. He looked rather worried and kept checking his phone every few seconds. Lucy relaxed after realising that it might be her he was searching for. Well, she had left quite abruptly, that must have worried Rufus and had that slushy guy not made an issue she would have been back long ago.

"Hey Eve." She called out from a distance, the green-eyed boy turned and a wave of relief washed over his features.

"You sure did take your own time, Lucy. Rufus was worried." He strides towards her with casual steps.

"Ugh. It's a long story, one involving water and a lame-ass slushy guy." She replied, shrugging her shoulders while she took another sip of the slushy.

"Well, that sounds interesting." Eve grinned a smile that reached his emerald pools, dimples pierced a small depression on his cheeks. He was an adorable boy.

"Trust me it ain't, anyway, since you're here alone now. I can finally talk to you about something." Lucy spoke with a tone of conviction and to improve the underlying threat, she crossed her arms.

He stiffened up considerably at the suggestion of her tone, he looked afraid to Lucy.

"You dating my best friend for a while now and I haven't seen him this happy for a long time. Don't ruin it, okay?"

"Oh...oh that. Holy crap. I thought you were talking about..." Eve slapped himself on the forehead in blunt realisations, his cheery nature returned,

"Hey, no worries here. We're good."

"Better be. Either way, it seemed like you were afraid for nothing." Lucy giggled, heartily.

"Huh. What do you mean?" Eve narrowed his eyes to green slits.

"Well. . . Uh not to point out the obvious but you were sorta fearful at the beginning almost like I had caught hold a dirty, dirty secret." She laughed a tinkling sound once again.

"Oh uh. . . That was nothing. Really."

"Yeah sure," Lucy said, slowly, meanwhile narrowing her dark chocolate eyes. But she became worried when she noticed a sheen of sweat upon his forehead and his uneven breathing. Instinctively, as she would for Rufus, Lucy rubbed circles on his back as he calmed down.

"Better?"

"Much." He smiled.

"Is everything alright?" Lucy questioned.

Eve glanced at the woman in front of him. He could tell her, he could tell Lucy about it. No doubt, she would help him, try her best to get him out. Because that's who Lucy was as a person. She would most definitely understand.

"Lucy," his voice shivered as she looked at him, bangs covering his eyes before his face broke into a smile, "you're full of light."

The blonde woman jerked her head back at the unusual turn of events, "Hey, that wasn't what-"

"-Listen to me," he said, holding her shoulders softly, "don't let anyone douse it alright? Even if theirs burn dimmer than yours."

"Eve? What's wrong?"

"Just thought I should tell you that." He shrugged casually as Lucy nodded her suspicions back to normality.

Eve grinned at her, much less dense than the previous ones, "We should probably go back to Rufus."

"Yeah, probably. He might think you're cheating on him."

"Yes, of course, that." Eve chuckled, delightfully. He looked back behind them only to be greeted by an abyss as Lucy meandered forward, almost leaving him behind.

He smiled at her; the sad sort. Eve could never do that to Lucy, he could never willingly hurt someone like her, especially when she meant the world to his boyfriend. He wouldn't-no, couldn't meet his own eye if he ever told her about what he was going through.

_Breathe a word about this to anyone and death will follow them as well._

The voice made it to the front of his head. He knew the threat wasn't a theatrical joke.

Which was why Eve Tearms decided to keep his silence and hold his peace with it for as long as he could.

"Eve." She yelled out from a distance, gaining his attention. "C'mon now."

"Yeah in a second." He jogged up to her without turning back once as they went to find their way back to a rather anxious Rufus.

"Took your sweet time, didn't you both?" Rufus stated, no impressed by their conduct.

"See. Told you he'd be doubting." Lucy pointed out the situation to be evidence while Eve laughed and shook his head at her response, Rufus, instead diverted his attention to his boyfriend and pulled him into a searing kiss.

"Yes, that's definitely what I wanted to see." They could hear her whine in the background but for now, nothing mattered. A sweet thing it was, a display of love. Lucy smiled at their affection, she was truly happy for her best friend, even if it meant him to go on talking about Eve for _days _instead of hours.

What are friends for anyway?

"Well, excuse Lucy, Eve. She tends to lean to the asexual side of the scale." Rufus mocked as they were walking back home, his boyfriend jerked his head slightly to the girl.

"Really? You're asexual?" Eve asked, intrigued.

"No. I'm not. I just tend to think that there's more to a person than just sexual attraction." Lucy shot back, glaring a stare at Rufus that would make him regret his existence.

"But you have never been sexual with anyone since a long time."

"Oh my God!" Lucy smacked her hand across his neck which mind you was a feat considering the fact Rufus was pretty much of a giant and she could be classified as a dwarf.

"Asexuality means lack of having sexual attraction to someone else or anyone else. Just cause you don't have sex for a long time doesn't make you an asexual. Might make you more of an incredibly sexually frustrated monk but not an asexual."

"Huh. So that solves it. You're an incredibly sexually frustrated monk." Rufus thoughtfully tapped his chin and snapped his fingers while forming a grin on his face. "Now that makes more sense."

He had not noticed that he was the only one walking front.

"Rufus Lore." Lucy breathed, outraged with indignation drooling in her brown orbs. "Run for your life!"

Rufus's grin dropped, "Ah crap." was all he said before breaking into a run down the isolated road for literally his life.

Eve hardly had the chance to blink before he realized that the two were engaged in a literal game of the cat and mouse.

His phone beeped which he knew could be ignored for now. He really did admire their friendship, a commendable bond and a rather irreplaceable relationship; something he hadn't seen in a long time and wouldn't for a longer time. Eve shook his head and beamed under the rays of the darkly lit lamp above him before he sprinted to catch up.

And the stygian skies peered down.

For a memory had been cherished that day.

* * *

Yeah, two updates this week cause I missed last week's. Still guilty about that really.

I've been thinking, most of the times that don't mean anything good. Anyhow, would Natsu had he been raised by, let's say, someone like Hades, become the END we all know and cherish today. Would he then choose his demon's side better? Or would he still be inherently good?

Probably gonna be one of the questions I'd ask Mashima when and if I meet him.

Anyway, see ya'all next week and for those who are waiting for the update of my other story, Defiance (which is pretty dark and I still don't know how it's got such an overwhelming response but thanks) it'll be on the same date as this story.


	6. Chapter 6

_Then join me in this madness._

_Let my darkness play with yours._

_Be free._

_I might be good for you, who knows?_

|Natsu Dragneel|

_**Chapter six**_

_-0-_

Now, it wasn't like Lucy carried a prejudice towards things like these.

It's just that it was truly and hypothetically not her forte.

She was not a particular fan of dating or liking a person. Hell, the girl never had a crush once in her entire life. Not even once. No one really interested her in that manner, also, Rufus and Hibiki were heck lotta protective over her for anyone to even score a chance. Her little brother and best friend were good friends ('Gee I wonder why.' Lucy rolled her eyes)

Either way, it was that she had never truly had the company of anyone she had a romantic inclination towards.

Maybe that would explain why she was turkey cold, when in the absence of Rufus she heard, among popular girls in one of the girl's washroom cubicle that Dan Straight, one of the popular jocks was apparently crushing on a certain Heartfilia. See, she wouldn't have given a rat's ass to a bunch of gossip mongers but the thing was . . .Lucy was the only girl bore an 'Heartfilia' in her name

Well, one can always pretend that nothing happened even if the person who was crushing on you was someone you saw in your class. Every day.

_Oh jeez, Lucy._ She chided herself, reprehensibly, _even if he did have a crush on you, what difference would it make to her unless he acted on it?_

And almost immediately she whispered, lightly. "Touchwood."

"Touch wood from what though?" A voice snapped her from her trance as she looked up.

In all his jock-ish glory, tall and strong stood Dan Straight.

At that moment, Lucy choked on air and was glad that she wasn't drinking because that scene made her mentally cringe. This had to be a plot of fate. She coughed up a bit and took a deep breath to regain her balance, both of her lungs and mind.

Lucy had never really been spoken to by anyone in school apart from few classmates and of course, Rufus and Eve.

"Are you alright?" Dan asked, concern flicking through the bright blue shades of his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm peachy keen really." She smiled, confidently. "So. . . Dan, did you need something?"

The boy grinned and strengthened her need to get out of there. Lucy needed to compose herself. Like literally now. "No, I just wanted to know if I could walk you home today."

_Like hell you can, sucker! _An imaginary Rufus popped into her head and the fact that he even existed inside her head made Lucy wonder just how close was she to that doofus.

"Umm-"

A piercing scream plunged into the air of the corridor, echoing within the walls of the school. Lucy's head snapped towards the direction of the source of noise. "The library." She stated out of recognition, not intending to say it to Dan but at that moment she didn't care enough and broke into a dart for the path she knew led to the library.

Lucy ignored the cries of her name from Dan who was following her. It was prompt. To go after the scream because it sounded like the person needed help and after Jessica's death, her body had been under the compulsion of her instincts. Almost as if it had been her motive to live.

She barged through the library doors and found a group of people formed at the end of the library out of which she recognized a few but the most prominent was Tracey Harper, a good friend who she would interact with, in her drama club.

Lucy treaded her steps, measured, and in a faint voice called out her friend's name in the hope of getting to know what exactly happened but none paid her attention making her forcefully pace more swiftly towards the end of the library.

"Tracey, what's wrong-" Lucy stopped midway of her sentence to find her friend lifting a finger to the sight before her. Furrowing her brows, the doe-eyed girl turned to face the vision she would behold a moment later.

And what she saw turned her pale, cold stone.

Meat hooks tucked on the skin of his ankles while he was hung upended, dressed in what would seem like a casual outfit and his tongue scraped out as the blood from his mouth had gushed out over his face as it dripped on the rose gold marble in tangible globules of red.

And even though the flow of blood, his eyes remained open, peering a barren glare at Lucy, so lifeless, so devoid of. . . anything. A chill ran through Lucy's spine as her hands began shivering uncontrollably.

"Lucy, goddamn, you run pretty fast for a-" Dan cut himself to begin another sentence, " Oh my god."

And the phrase even couldn't do justice to the body Eve Tearm which had a paper attached to his clothes.

Upon which was drawn again in deadly veracity was the waxing gibbous moon.

Tears broke through upon the skin of her face, it was just a couple of days ago that she had spoken to him and yesterday was his match. Rufus said that he was perfectly fine and that he had even won the match against their rivalling school. . .then how . . .and when?

Emotions flooded as the memories of the football match came back. Lucy fell to her knees as she clasped her hands over her mouth, it didn't matter if people were around her.

She lost a friend and the helplessness of being able vision such a sight tore her apart. It torched her soul, the fact that she was powerless against the quality to suffer a fate that endured the murder of a friend. A bane really one would feel like.

_Rufus._

And like the jerk of the wind that thought pulled her out of her world. Where was Rufus? Had he reached this place before she did?

Lucy looked around frantically. "Was Rufus here?" She asked aloud as tears didn't cease to stream down her face. They all seemed numb to her question, "Answer me!" She demanded with a fierce and more forceful nature.

"He went out that door a few minutes before you came in."

_He must've seen._ Abruptly, concern washed over her for her dear comrade. She ran out leaving Dan deserted. Thoughts of the places Rufus could have gone to flew in and nothing made sense now for Lucy was running aimlessly with a cause to find him. She refused to let him go through this alone. Anyone but Rufus. She rushed through the corridors, jogged swiftly through the fields, sprinted to the backside of the school but Lucy found no hide or hair of the green-eyed boy. Her eyes went up to the gardens and then floated her gaze to the church.

_Fat chance._

But she would spare nothing in her search for him so she went in and to her utter surprise and relief. Rufus was there. Staring. Merely staring at the canvasses still kept there. Lucy's heart gnawed in woe at the sight. "Rufus." She cried out in despair and the echo was the only sound heard.

Upon finding no hint of response, she walked up to him and gently shook his arm. "His picture is gonna be here too right? Right next to Jessica's?" He stated, absentmindedly.

"Rufus."

Her best friend turned his head to face her to lock her concerned mahogany orbs with unfazed emerald eyes.

"I'm gonna kill him, Lu. I'm gonna kill him." He declared as droplets of tears began flowing down his cheek.

Not knowing what to do, she wrapped her arms around the distraught boy. It was heartbreaking. The constant ache of suffering and loss was maiming but she had to be strong, for both of them and Rufus more because she might have lost a friend but he lost a person who he loved the moment high school started.

This was not justice. But then again, what is?

Rufus fell to his knees and tried to thrash out of Lucy's arms as he roared in death-like throes, continued to break out her grip in violent attempts that would most definitely leave marks on her but all Lucy did was fasten her hold over him. "Let me go. Let me go. Let me go." He screamed in maddening desolation and dolour.

The long, loud, piercing howls of hurt felt like thin and firm strings of distress and anguish to her ears, "Let me go the fuck away, Lucy!" The blond whose back pressed against her chest scratched her arms in dire attempts. "Let me go. Just fuckin' let me go."

Come thunder or lightning but Lucy's hold didn't weaken neither did she speak a word, she bore it all with the grit of her teeth and resolve firm with fortitude, "Let me go, Lucy." He begged as incessant trails of tears made Lucy soften her acorn hooded irises.

"Not right now, not when you need me the most."

And in the midst of the crucifix, a promise was made.

**|• • • • • • • •|**

It was cold.

She was used to the cold by this point.

Funerals were never a place of liveliness. Dreary, dark and distraught were words they'd describe it with. Like every other victim, the funeral services were held Eve' parish which was the local church. In spite of being draped in a black turtle neck dress and a long black coat, Lucy could feel the cold.

Next to her dressed in a formal black suit was an indifferent Rufus.

"Eve was a wonderful son. His words could brighten up anyone's day, the night you didn't come back home son. . . I should have known I should have known that my. . .son. . ." Unable to complete his lament, Roderick Tearm broke down into disorderly mannered sobs. His wife, Martha Tearm, helped him resisting the urge to break down herself.

They really loved and treasured their son. The light of their eyes. It almost felt as if someone had infiltrated their souls and stole a part of themselves.

The first thing Rufus did when he calmed down in Lucy's arm was rush to the Tearms's residence to help the family through their grief and despair but as soon he reached there, he realized it went the other way around.

"We might have lost our son, Rufus but you've lost a part of you." Roderick had consoled the blond lad quite the way he would treat his own son.

_Oh god. Why? _Lucy thought as she felt a thorn shoved down her throat.

The next person to deliver their speech was Rufus who found his hand being squeezed by Lucy in hope of encouragement.

He walked to the podium and adjusted the mic, stared at a crowd that pitied him.

"The first day of high school, I saw a new boy at school, couldn't say I liked you, Eve, so much of a do-gooder, you were. Although as years passed, through side glances, accidental eye contacts and that quality of just being soo good. I fell for you,"

"And boy I fell so hard that."

Suppressing a whimper, he continued."I don't think I can ever let you go. I don't think I have the strength to forget you because my heart says. . .that you'll live on. In our memories and the hearts of the people who loved you."

"You were just so annoying, so contagious and so bewitching." Rufus knew he wasn't much of a verbal person but he hoped, he hoped so desperately that his thoughts would be delivered to Eve in one or the other way. He let a tear slip past the control of his eyes.

It was cruel.

God, how merciless could life and death be?

Witnessing people mourn the death of their loved one was a sorrowful experience in itself but watching the people you truly love go through the pain and agony takes on a whole new level and this was established to Lucy in a hard way. She couldn't even bring herself to comfort Rufus that he would be alright because even she knew, she knew that he would never be quite alright again.

It's just the sort of thing death does.

The perception and depth it gives to a person is enlightening but at the price of something so irreplaceable and had it been a natural cause of death, Lucy would strive to be more understanding.

_But this was murder. _Someone had snatched a life away like it didn't matter at all.

"Thank you for coming, Rufus, Lucy. It means a lot to us." Roderick offered his hand to shake but was met with both of Rufus's hands engulfing his own. "Please don't."

Lucy stepped aside to give the pair a few moments. She looked around to find familiar faces, most of them were from the locality she lived in and also from school. She recognised the song playing in the background, one of her favourites.

_Mad World _by _Gary Jules_.

It was odd how perfectly it fit. Songs were, if not a beautiful way, a means to convey words.

The place around her reeled and revelled in melancholy of the ghoulish kind. She saw a few people in the corner kept to themselves or were just alone.

"Let's leave, Lu," Rufus stated as she broke her gaze and smiled towards him, bidding goodbye to the Walker's.

She awfully hoped they would be alright after some time yet she reminded herself that it was their son they lost.

Rufus stopped suddenly making Lucy bewildered with his movement. "Rufus-" She stopped herself to look at what he was staring which led her to the sight the Sheriff and his officials. They were trying so very hard to catch Rhealz but it just wasn't it. He seemed to be of another league entirely, he was so pompous and vain that it had made a laughing stock of the Sheriff and his department.

No one could blame them, honestly. Rhealz was far too capable and too deviously evasive. His skills lacked imperfection and everything he did was trailed with conniving mockery.

And they continued walking to their ride home. Rufus stayed over at Lucy's place he was welcomed to do by her family.

There wasn't going to be school for another couple of days because the Sheriff and his department wished to investigate the crime scene, therefore, the school had been dismissed. Rufus stated that he had complete faith in the Sheriff and was, for odd reasons, absolutely invested in the fact that they would find Rhealz.

And justified will prevail.

However, Lucy didn't share the same beliefs, she didn't want to be cold water on his face square therefore, she didn't comment on the subject when he brought it up but that didn't change the truth.

She did not trust the Sheriff. Not one bit. It almost felt as if she had a profound dislike for the law enforcement within Lecastle.

She didn't have a reason.

Lucy just never did.

**|• • • • • • • •|**

The light creeping into his room seemed duller than usual. Frigid black eyes fluttered open to stare at plain white designs on his ceiling. His phone rang to a default tune as he reached over to his nightstand.

"Yo buddy,"

"Morning," Natsu said, not bothering to clear the sprawled mess of the blankets beneath him. "Yeah, yeah. Now get yo ass out her man, Mrs Fuckin' Johnson is annoying me the fuck out right now."

Ignoring the obscenities used, he asked, casually. "Where now?"

"Three streets down Monday Maggin's. Get here fast ,will ya?"

"Be there in a minute." He replied and heard the call get disconnected before he got out of his bed and took a quick hot shower.

Lecastle had a considerably less amount of electricians, therefore, it sparked the need for people like him. That and his other odd jobs.

He was going to wear his uniform before the sight of himself caught his eye on the mirror which ended in him throwing the uniform to the bed as he stopped to observe himself.

Natsu stared at his reflection, smooth tan skin glistening with droplets of water dripping from his hair travelling to his jaw. He knew he looked appealing in ways that could make anyone have sleepless nights and perhaps the confidence he wore was nauseating but even you couldn't deny.

But he was also a common face and if he tried could easily blend in.

He had a lean body structure. A flattering image to any women or man, young or old. He scoffed at the people who thought his physical traits mirrored the way he behaved. True. He was charming, beguiling even some would proclaim but did that even compare? He asked himself, to the savage he was underneath it all?

He killed. He lied. He stole.

Why did he do it? Did he have a past? Were his family relations bad? No, none of that. It was nothing in fact.

He murdered just because he felt like it. He had no motive unless one thinks boredom is a purpose real enough.

He knew what he was doing, he knew it's consequences full well. And still did it anyway.

His gaze struck upon a scar on his abdomen and confoundment replaced his features for half a moment before recognition waltzed in.

_Ah. _The most recent kill. Tricky one that boy was.

Unlike many, he showed signs of fighting him back and ardently had tried so, Eve, he speculated the boy's name was. Although he was a football player, strong and light on his foot but really he was no match for the well-trained fighter Natsu had always been.

Of course, he killed him in the most brutally way possible, however, the scar was left upon him regardless.

_That boy's eyes although._

He thought, narrowing his eyes at the result of his analysis.

Eve's eyes held defiance more than survival.

A new thing he had witnessed, it made the firm foundation of his nonchalance shake slightly. Which for someone as heartless as this criminals was alarming.

He dismissed the thoughts but would give them more depth later. Right now, he had a refrigerator to fix, Mrs Johnson was an annoying woman who refused to buy a new fridge and would be stuck to that excuse of well. . . whatever that thing was.

Dressed adequately in his uniform, he locked his apartment doors and climbed down the dark and dingy staircase as he took his motorcycle and continue to make way for his work.

And on his way, Natsu went past the same window where he had once seen a blonde looking at him from. She out with her friend and of course, she didn't notice when he went past but Natsu did.

He didn't know if it was the repetitive meetings that pulled him to her or the innocence and compassion bubbling in her eyes.

Whatever it was, it called to him; as did the moon to the wolf.

And Natsu knew it in that instant.

He had found his next victim.

* * *

Sorry for the late update, I've been held back by a lil work.


End file.
